“Thanks. Bring food. I’m famished.”
Ivy laughed and hung up.
FIFTEEN
The next time Cassie woke was to the growling of her stomach and the need to go to the bathroom. She sat up groggily and pushed the tangled mass of hair away from her face.
She could hear Ivy in the kitchen walking around and talking to someone else.
“I’ve checked her temperature,” Ivy said. “She doesn’t have a fever, but she’s very pale.”
“What do you think is wrong?” Ivan asked.
Cassie frowned. She didn’t realize Ivan had come along with Ivy.
“I don’t know. She’s been running herself ragged with working and stressing her negative bank account. She’s probably got low iron or something and is feeling the effects of all this now.”
Cassie nodded. That was true and very possible. Perhaps she was just anemic and needed to get some vitamins. Easily fixed.
“This isn’t like her. She’s always been very strong,” Ivan stated with a hint of frustration. “I don’t like knowing she’s sick. Not this sick. I’ve got business to attend to, but Massimo and I will be in town in a few days. If she gets worse let me know and we’ll come up sooner.”
“I will take care of her. I’m sure if she rests she will be fine. Not thinking of work or her bank account might do her some good,” Ivy told him. “Now let me get back to cooking.”
Ivan laughed. “You cooked?”
“What’s so funny? I know how.”
“You’d rather survive on take-out than to actually do it,” he said. “She must be really sick.”
“I made her chicken soup. I figured it’s the safest thing. Plus, if she’s got some kind of cold or virus, this won’t hit her stomach as hard.”
Cassie made a face. What she really wanted was a steak. A nice, juicy steak and homemade rolls. Maybe mashed potatoes and cornbread. Oh, and pie. Apple pie. And biscuits. Yeah, biscuits drizzled in honey. Wait, what? Honey? She wasn’t a honey eater, but the idea of honey sounded so good she couldn’t ignore it.
She picked up the phone and opened her delivery app to order take out. A local restaurant made whatever she wanted as long as she paid the extra fee for delivery. She’d stopped using them recently so she wouldn’t spend money on things she didn’t need, but she craved their food at that moment and her stomach was in control.
Having ordered her food, she slid out of bed and groaned at how tired she still felt. She went into the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Instead of looking sick, she looked great. What the hell?
Her hair was shinier than usual and her brown skin glowed. Even her eyes sparkled. She’d never been sick and looked this good. She wasn’t sure if to be worried or excited.
She opted for a shower and more thoughts on the coming meal. Afterwards, she felt refreshed and much more awake. Her stomach still grumbled, but at least some of her energy appeared to have returned.
“Are you out of the shower?” she heard Ivy yell from the living room.
“Yes. I’ll be there in a second.”
“Good. I went down to the pharmacy at the corner and got you some vitamins.”
She towel dried her hair and slipped on pajamas. “Thanks.”
Ivy sat on a flowery blue sofa. It was Cassie’s favorite and her seat of choice when she was lying in the living room surfing the Internet. “You ordered food,” Ivy said accusingly. “I made you homemade soup.”
She smiled at the perfectly laid out food on the coffee table, taking up every inch of space. “I’m sorry, Ivy. I’m starving. I think some red meat might help if my iron is low.”
Ivy gasped, her brown eyes going wide. “I didn’t think of that.” She sat up suddenly and picked up a bottle lying next to her on the sofa, popped it open and handed Cassie two pills. “Here’s some vitamins. This should help you in the coming days get your energy levels back up.”
She sniffed the pills. “Are they supposed to smell so strong?”
“Strong how?” Ivy asked and brought the bottle to her nose. “I guess. It’s a multivitamin. Those things smell a bit.”
Cassie wrinkled her nose. “This one is powerful.”
“Oh, for god’s sakes, Cassie. Take the damn pills and let’s get you back to being your usual stressed out self.” Ivy winked and picked up a glass of iced tea.
Cassie dropped the pills in her mouth and took the tea from Ivy before she got a chance to drink it herself. Then she turned to the food and started putting meat and biscuits on a paper plate. “This smells so good.”
“I don’t know how you manage to get that little restaurant to make these things,” Ivy mumbled shoving a buttered biscuit into her mouth.